A talk with my aunt {and some random thoughts}

When I was telling my aunt about our adoption plans, I was trying to explain to her the impact that Payton has had on our lives, on a level that she may not realize. It is hard to put into words, but I truly feel that I would not have experienced parenthood in the way that I have if Payton had not entered our lives. Loving a special needs child is so different than loving a typical child. It is very hard to make someone on the outside to understand this when they have no experience, but I know many parents of children with Down syndrome know exactly what I am saying.

You see, as parents we tend to take things that our children do for granted. We expect them to to walk by about one year of age, we expect them to start talking soon after that. We expect things from them because that is how a child typically develops and we cherish those milestones.

But ... what happens if your child does not walk by their first birthday, or if they still don't really talk at 2 years old, or if they still have to eat some baby food at 2 1/2 years old because they have oral aversions? Welcome to my world ... but don't pity me. We feel so blessed to have a happy and healthy child in our lives, that these silly things have become so minute. Sure, we still want these things for her, but we don't worry because we know one day she will get there. And when she does get there, it makes it that much more worth it.

In the words of my friend McKenna, we "want more of that love". And that is part of the reason we want to adopt a child with Down syndrome.